Red Production Company becomes latest indie casualty

StudioCanal is shuttering Red Production Company, Broadcast understands.

Chief executive Patrick Schweitzer has exited the business and it is understood that its other London and Manchester-based staff have been let go at the same time.

Schweitzer, who had been in position since September 2023 left last week and his departure coincided with the UK business effectively halting operations. The company has 12 staff listed on its website, including Schweitzer. It is understood that all staff were informed of the decision simultaneously.

It is thought that the Red slate could transfer to StudioCanal’s TV business, which is run from the UK by M-K Kennedy. According to a Companies House filing published today (3 June), Kennedy has been made a director of the indie. Kennedy joined last year from Netflix.

Paris-based parent StudioCanal acquired a majority stake 12 years ago.

Red was founded by Nicola Shindler in 1998 and is behind myriad iconic British dramas including Queer As Folk, Happy Valley, It’s A Sin, Scott & Bailey, Years and Years and Harlan Coben’s The Stranger. Shindler left in 2020 and subsequently launched ITV Studios-backed Quay Street Productions. 

She was succeeded first by late Fremantle global drama chief Sarah Doole who exited in 2022. It then had a year of interim leadership before former Tall Story exec Schweitzer was brought on board in 2023.

The company has been prepping Amazon Prime Video original Anansi Boys, an adaptation of Neil Gaiman’s fantasy novel, with now-shuttered Endor Productions since 2021.

StudioCanal declined to comment.